Search

I’ve been dying to play with them, but we got into the holidays and things got BUSY, so it had to wait till now! I was looking at my sweet baby girl (who isn’t such a baby anymore, and who is also not always sweet, but most of the time she is….) And noticed that her monkey jammies had little monkey faces on them that were exactly the same shape as the monkey face cookie cutter!

See?

So I had some inspiration, and I had some chocolate chip cookie dough in the fridge, (which was also weird because Sweet Sugarbelle posted the same recipe on the SAME day that I made these! Great minds think alike!), so it was meant to be that I should bake up some Jungle Pals!

Monkeys!

Lions!

Elephants!

Everybody!

To decorate these guys, I used my old stand-by Meringue Powder Buttercream. This is the recipe that I’ve been using for 10+ years. I’ve been experimenting with other icings lately, and some of them are really fun! Cookie Crazie Pam uses a corn syrup icing that I’ve really had fun with, and I’ve revisited royal icing lately. But I always seem to come back to the Meringue Powder Buttercream. I guess we’re old buddies.

To decorate, I outlined with full-strength MPB (that’s short for Meringue Powder Buttercream. But now that I had to explain, I might as well have just written the whole thing and saved myself about 29 words!), and then thinned some down to fill in the sections. Sometimes I use squeeze bottles for filling in with thinned-down buttercream, but this time I just used disposable bags and tips, and that works really well, too. It’s really a matter of personal preference which one you use.

After the base coat dried, I piped on their faces and added some pink petal dust cheeks with a Q-tip. I really wished I had a darker pink, especially for the monkeys. I’m going to have to get some darker pink in my shop! For the girl monkeys and Elephants, I added a jumbo daisy flower with an icing dot for the center. So easy, and I think it added a lot!

These were my favorites from each species:

Do you want to make some Jungle Pals cookies, too? Of course you do! Comment on this post by Sunday (January 16) at midnight Mountain Time, and I’ll pick a winner at random and send you a set of the cutters. Your chances are pretty good of winning, too, because not many people know about this blog yet! :D Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win (don’t worry– your email address won’t be visible to the public, but I’ll see it on the back end). Have a happy weekend, and I’ll see you on Monday!

Like this:

Related

105 Responses to “Jungle Animals”

These are super adorable. I’m curious about your icing. I’m just now getting fairly confident with my royal icing…so I’m nervous to venture out. But anything with “buttercream” in the title sounds pretty appealing.

These cookies are just adorable. I just found your blog and can’t wait to look through your archives. I have always decorated cakes but never bothered with cookies. I am going to have to change my ways!

Congrats on the blog Karen! Certainly worth the wait! Thank you for posting such details and links with your pictures. At a quick glimpse I thought the flowers on the monkey and elephant were fondant or molding chocolate, both I have not had time to play with. I am so excited they are sugar candies that I can order from you! Can’t wait to play with them on Easter designs : )

This is so sweet, I call one of my grandchildren monkey baby, and she loves everything to do with monkeys. How cute is that! Your buttercream icing sounds delicious can you share the recipe? And I’m sure your cite will be on everyones have to have list soon.

You’ve inspired me to get a batch of those cookies going! I’m not sure about icing them yet, but I’ll keep my mind open at this point!! Five little ones running around doesn’t leave much time for the details-at least not yet. Thanks for sharing so much! Love reading your thoughts!!

I just found your site for the first time last night, and I am so inspired!! I loves these cookies but the lions are my favorite with their curly manes. Soo so cute! And I can’t wait to try your icing!

Your cookies look great! Inspired by your website and the cookiersrus.com posts, I tried your MPB (my laptop was literally next to my mixer and I watched the video tutorial as I was making the MPB!), but I must have over-mixed because once it dried on the cookie, it would easily break off. I guess I have to try again! These look awesome!

Too cute! I tried the MPB this past weekend, I really love the taste! However, I thinned the icing some and then piped and flooded with the same strength. Cookies looked good but never set up totally. The next time I’ll pipe with full strength (as per your post) and thin (a little) for flooding. I’m in a high humidity area, this might have had something to do with how soft they were.

My (mostly) sweet, not a baby anymore 3 year old has those monkey jammies! Her baby sister has a cute pink and grey elephant too. So sweet. I’ve been a customer (and fan) of your shop for a while now. I love your blog too!

My daughter is an Alabama fan and the elephants are so cute (as are the others!). Looking forward to trying the MPB icing out too! Thanks for all of your tips. I’m beginning to realize that “cookie people” are the sweetest people around!

I’ve seen these cookies popping up all over the place…and yours are just as cute if not cuter! love the heart noses on the monkeys. I already have this set…but haven’t had a reason to make them yet. So if I am, by chance, the winner I’d rather these go to someone who doesn’t already have the cutters. :)

These cookies are sooooo adorable. I love the colors and faces – they’re perfect. I can’t wait to try your meringue powder buttercream frosting! It is always a pleasure to see what types of cookies you come up with, Karen. :) You’re my hero!

I love these cookies. I’m going to try your MPB recipe. I like to try out new recipes. I usually use the corn syrup icing. I have never seen these cutters. I would love to have them. Thanks for the giveaway chance to win.

YUMmmmm! As Karen’s BFF, #2 fan (#1 goes to her husband, Mike!), and lucky taste-tester, I must rave about these cookies. They are even more adorable in person and they taste amazing! The thing I love about her cookies is that they are ALWAYS delicious – taste is never sacrificed for design. (That goes for anything else she makes as well). Karen’s quality is tops, she’s super generous in sharing her talent and recipes AND she couldn’t be a more sweet or genuine person. What you see is truly what you get!

Hello, Karen, I’m Elena,a customer from Spain. Congratulations for the blog! I can say that you and Mike are really very kind, I’ll continue making orders because your service is really very good. Thank you. Of course, I like the blog and all the ideas you offer us.

I’ve been a customer of Karen’s Cookies for some time….what a joy it was to find your blog!
I’ve looked at these precious jungle pal cutters for some time…even have them sitting in my shopping cart along with your must have cookie scrapers.
Adorable giveaway! Hoping it’s my lucky day! :)

I am just beginning to learn to make/decorate cookies and you are truly inspiring me! You make it look so easy! I LOVE these cookies and I want to try to make them! Thank you for sharing recipes and ideas!

CUTE! I have seen your recipe of icing for years and never tried it because my picture of it was like using regular buttercream. NOW I SEE that it works like regular flooding icing. I will FOR SURE try it.

I love your website, I always have a wish list going…just in case my family is not sure as to what to get me! Love those little baby animals. they are so precious and your decorating skills are amazing.

I love these cookies. I think my grandson would love them, too. I and new to cookie decorating and tried your MPB icing today for the first time. I LOVE IT!!! I think this will be my “go to” icing. Thank you for sharing the receipe. I am happy to see you have a blog and look forward to more exciting cookies.

My 2-year old daughter has the same monkey PJs! I have looked at those a thousand times thinking they would make a great decorated cookie. It’s funny how almost everything I see turns into a cookie idea in my head. I am completely obsessed (in a good way)and I really appreciate your time and effort to post wonderful ideas and tips on your blog. I placed my first order from your site and can’t wait to get to work…and shop again!
Thank you, thank you!!
Ashley

You should post the picture of your favorite monkey, elephant and lion on your store website as an example of how to use those cutters. I never thought I wanted those cutters until I saw your adorable cookies! So, even though I didn’t win the giveaway, I bought the cutters from you. I can’t wait to use them today!

On December 20, 2013 my nephew Erik S. Johnson passed away unexpectedly in a very horrible tragic accident on the 8000 block of highway A in Somers, WI. He loved skateboarding, playing guitar, and his family. Erik was married to my niece Alyssa Wathen Johnson in August 2012 and was a wonderful stepfather to their three year old daughter Kailey. They were so excited to learn that they would be expecting a new baby boy in June 2013. Along with the loss of Erik many financial hardships have been ensued. A celebration for my niece Alyssa Wathen Johnson for her and her unborn baby boy. I am looking for donations for her and the baby she need all the stuff for the baby that she can get, like clothes, bedding, a crib, diapers, and hichair and all kinds of stuff etc. We need donations for food, for the shower. We are trying to have the biggest baby shower ever but I need help. The theme we were trying for was monkeys, elephants and alligators. The baby is due in June, so we are trying to have her shower in May 18 or 19. It will be so much appreciated for all your kind of help,
Thank you very much
Pina wathen
You can send your donations to pina wathen 1715-19th ave Kenosha WI 53140
Phone number: 262-764-9089
Email is pinaajw@yahoo.com

i we wondering if you would donations for this if you cannt i understand thank you pina wathen